The findings are based on an analysis of more than 7 million Medicare patient records from 2008 to 2010. HealthGrades Emergency Medicine in American Hospitals report focused on 12 of the most common and life-threatening medical emergencies among that patient population, including heart attack, stroke, pneumonia and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD.

Marilyn Schock, chief executive officer at McKee, said McKee can provide exceptional service to patients in emergencies because the patient is always at the center of care. “From the time they come to McKee, we focus on making sure everything we do results in an excellent patient experience with the highest quality care,” Schock said.

North Colorado Medical Center CEO Rick Sutton said departments throughout the hospital have put programs in place to consistently provide high quality outcomes related to emergency care. “One example is the cardiac alert program, where a patient who has called 911 and is having a heart event will bypass the emergency room and go straight to the cardiac cath lab. Cardiologists are then able to begin treatment as soon as possible,” Sutton said.

The investment in and commitment to quality emergency medicine ranges from the thirty year operation of the North Colorado Med Evac air transport program to the electronic intensive care patient monitoring system and the electronic medical record processes serving both McKee Medical Center and North Colorado Medical Center patients.

“It is imperative that anyone experiencing a medical emergency go directly to the closest hospital, especially in the event of a heart attack or stroke,” said Arshad Rahim, MD, report author and director of Accelerated Clinical Excellence at HealthGrades. “That said, our findings show the care you receive once admitted to the hospital can also make the difference between life and death. We encourage all patients to educate themselves about the quality of emergency medical providers in their area and to choose a top performing hospital whenever there is a choice.”

Other key findings of the HealthGrades report include:

Medicare patients treated at hospitals recognized with a HealthGrades Emergency Medicine Excellence Award had, on average, a 41.52 percent lower risk of death compared to patients treated at non-recipient hospitals.

If all hospitals performed at the level of the Emergency Medicine Excellence hospitals from 2008 through 2010, an additional 170,856 people could have potentially survived their emergency hospitalization.

ABOUT BANNER HEALTHHeadquartered in Phoenix, Banner Health is one of the country’s largest nonprofit health care systems. Located in seven states, Banner Health owns or manages 23 health care facilities including McKee Medical Center and North Colorado Medical Center as well as physician practices and nationally recognized research centers. To learn more go to www.bannerhealth.com.

About HealthGradesHealthGrades, headquartered in Denver, Colo. is a leading provider of comprehensive information about physicians and hospitals. More than 200 million consumers use the HealthGrades websites, including HealthGrades.com and BetterMedicine.com, to research, select, and connect with a physician or hospital, and use its comprehensive information about clinical outcomes, patient satisfaction, patient safety, and health conditions to make more informed healthcare decisions and take action. Find more information about our products and services at HealthGrades.com. Follow us on Twitter (@HealthGrades) and Facebook for news and updates. More information on how HealthGrades guides Americans to their best health can be found at www.healthgrades.com.